Proposition 4 is a $10 billion bond to help the state pay for efforts to address the impacts of climate change, including boosting water recycling, flood control and wildfire and sea level rise protections.

Official title on the ballot: Proposition 4 — The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act

Understanding Prop. 4

The bond proposal comes amid worsening heat, flooding and fire that’s pushing aging infrastructure beyond its limits.

The history behind it

Democratic lawmakers and environmental advocates pushed for the bond after cuts to state climate programs due to an unprecedented deficit in recent years. (The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office says the state faces as much as a $73 billion deficit.)

Two years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature approved a $54.3 billion spending package for what Newsom called his “California Climate Commitment.” Since then, the package has faced a $9.4 billion, or 17%, reduction, due to the state’s budget deficit.

Programs to combat rising sea levels and extreme heat and help low-income Californians buy electric cars were among the cuts.

How it would work

Prop. 4 would have the state borrow $10 billion to pay for climate and environmental projects. Much of the climate bond money would go to infrastructure. It’s common for governments to take out long-term debt to pay for expensive infrastructure projects that will last for decades. Some of the funding would also cover administrative costs and salaries for workers involved in the funded projects.

According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, $3.8 billion would go toward safe drinking water and infrastructure to capture stormwater and recycle water; $1.95 billion to wildfire prevention and addressing the impacts of extreme heat; $1.9 billion to conserving natural lands, parks, and wildlife; $1.2 billion to help coastal communities adapt to sea level rise; $850 million for clean energy infrastructure, primarily offshore wind and upgrading electric transmission lines; and $300 million to incentivize more sustainable farming as well as support community gardens and farmers markets.

And 40% of the funds would be required to benefit lower-income communities most impacted by climate change and pollution. The measure also requires yearly audits.

What people who support it say

Dozens of conservation and environmental justice groups, as well as labor unions, renewable energy companies, and firefighter groups support the bond.

“Giving firefighters the tools to prevent wildfires is the best, most cost effective way to prevent the human and financial costs of these disasters. Prop. 4 makes the right investments to save lives and billions in response and recovery costs,” said Tim Edwards, president of Cal Fire firefighters' union, in a prepared statement.

Other supporters, including the Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation, and the Community Water Center, say the funding is needed to shift from a reactive to a more proactive approach to the worsening impacts of climate change.

What people who oppose it say

Opponents include Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, Assemblymember Jim Patterson and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

They say the bond will only add to California’s worsening deficit and that the harm to taxpayers due to paying the bond back with interest outweigh the benefits. They argue the projects the bond proposes to cover are too ambiguous.

They also say many of the programs the bond would cover, such as clean water projects and necessary infrastructure investments, should be covered within the state budget, not with a bond that taxpayers will have to pay back with interest.

Cram session

During AirTalk's Ballot Cram Session live event, Larry Mantle talked with Caltech's Michael Alvarez, Pomona College's Sara Sadhwani and Claremont McKenna College's Zachary Courser about Proposition 4.

Potential financial impact

California taxpayers would pay the $10 billion bond back with interest. The Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates the cost to repay the bond would be about $400 million annually over the next 40 years, or about $16 billion in total.

The bond would likely reduce costs to local governments since more state money will be available.

The bond could also reduce costs of future disasters if infrastructure makes communities more resilient to those disasters, but those potential cost savings are uncertain.

Follow the money

Listen In: AirTalk tackles Prop. 4

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This voter guide originally published Aug. 30.